Super Drive
by Desert Orchid
Summary: CHAPTER 2 UP! Koran's "teleporter" works, but not in the way that she deisgned it to. Tohma finds an angel during his midnight stroll. R&R, onegai! And please help me decide what the final result will be, MO or MT?
1. Realizations

Disclaimer: I do not own Sakura Taisen or Gravitation; do NOT sue me (no money, no honey). Everything I write can't and won't be used against me (I hope). Domo Arigato Gozaimasu.  
  
**Ahoy, citizens! Well, here's something that's been cooking in my cranium for quite a while: a Sakura Taisen/Gravitation crossover!! (Yuri meets Yaoi, go figure.) But of course, the main leads aren't the main leads anymore, and those who should have been are (did that make any sense?) It's a Tohma/Maria, Maria/Ohgami bit. Enjoy!!  
  
Chapter 1: Realizations  
  
Maria drifted through the halls of the Imperial Theater; the once glorious, elegant baubles festooning the large sanctuary were now all burned to crispy perfection, the gleaming walls charred nice and toasty. It was strange to think that less than half a year ago, she had called this place her home, and now look at it, left to rot in a smoldered ruin.  
  
She didn't know what she was doing here anyway. She was at peace in her room when Koran just suddenly popped in and dragged her Russian ass to the trip.  
  
"You're doing nothing, just sulking around here all day. I know we are still on guard, in case any more resurrections of Satan Aoi happen, but it's time to relax!" Koran had babbled as she pulled Maria to the automobile. "Beside, all the others have taken vacations, 'cept for you and moi, so who will I go with?"  
  
Maria just grunted a response. She was doing perfectly fine relaxing on her own, thank you very much. Spending days in solitude and stagnant living are the best ways to do so.  
  
Not.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Tohma?"  
  
"Hmmn?"  
  
Mika propped her chin with her elbow, her eyes roving over the reclined figure of her husband in bed. Beautiful.  
  
"Will you really do nothing about Shuichi?" she asked, her fingers weaving through Tohma's hair. "He'll cause nothing but trouble in Eiri's life. I told you he's not good for him."  
  
Tohma rolled over to his side, trying to shut the sound of Mika's voice off. It was getting annoying. Every night she just complained again and again how Shindou-san was ruining her brother. Can't she see that it's him that's helping Yuki heal? Tohma thought. Can't she get past her biased outlook on homosexuality and just shove her comments down her throat?  
  
Why the hell did I marry this woman anyway? Tohma pondered as Mika just continued her diatribe against Shindou-san. At first, he thought it was because he really loved her. After all, he had courted her for five years. Then he realized that it wasn't her that he loved, but the challenge of it all. After that, it was pretty smooth sailing. That put the flame out pretty quickly.  
  
Then he rationalized, and said to himself that this was the only way he would be able to watch over Yuki closely; if they were related. But that wasn't very reasonable either, seeing that Yuki became so overly famous that every tabloid has his name scrawled over it. He didn't need Mika to keep him posted.  
  
Then, right there, in the middle of Mika's blabbing, he realized it. He felt nothing for this woman; he had no reason to be with her any longer than he had. With that realization, he stood up from bed.  
  
"And then that Shuichi- Tohma? Tohma, what are you doing?"  
  
"I'm taking a walk." With that, he put on his clothes and turned to the door.  
  
Mika hurried after him. "Wait, I'll come with you. It'll be like a midnight date."  
  
Gag. "No, you just stay here, I feel like being alone for a while."  
  
"But-"  
  
"Please." And he left.  
  
Mika stood across the doorway, half dressed, with a pondering frown on her face. "What the hell is wrong with him?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
As she observed the cracks on the ceiling, Maria wondered what had happened that made life seem like and endless nothing to her. The fact was, she was feeling that she had no purpose anymore. The war days had been better, she thought, at least there was something I could do; I felt useful, alive, like I belonged there.  
  
Now she just felt like a drifter, a piece of algae wafting through water. Why was that? Her other teammates certainly didn't feel that way. Sumire had been ecstatic when the Commander said that they could have a vacation.  
  
"Omigod, at last, I can arrange my acting career, somewhere in Europe, where there are no dirty Wakiji smutting the place up. And where there plenty of blue-eyed foreign angels.."  
  
Really, Maria would not be surprised if Sumire ended up being banged by some random Dutch boy.  
  
Kanna was a little more practical. "I'm going back home, and help my family with the dojo. We have to start teaching the student the techniques on how to repel evil." Then she sallied forth, with baggage as big as rice sacks strapped on to her. She said it was filled with presents, to coax her father into changing the style a little. "Can't hurt."  
  
Kanna would definitely NOT be banged on her vacation.  
  
Sakura, on the other hand, decided to go to her ancestral home and invited Iris to go with her. Iris tried to contain herself for a few seconds before she blew up the china cabinet in excitement, and uttered a meek "yes". Actually, Maria had been invited too.  
  
"Come on, Maria , it'll be fun!! My mom makes the best onigiri, and there are people you can spar with there. The four of us will have a great time!!"  
  
"The four of us?"  
  
"Yeah," Sakura stuffed her suitcase with clothing till it was full to bursting. "You, me, Iris and Captain Ohgami. I invited him as well."  
  
"And he agreed?"  
  
"He said he'd love to come."  
  
"No thanks."  
  
Maria seethed. If Ohgami bangs Sakura, she didn't know who she'd kill.  
  
The fact was, she had feelings for him. Deep, dark feelings. The kind of feelings that kept her awake at night, hoping he'll come to her room and sweep her off into the sunrise. But she didn't know how to express it, how to control it. She's never been buddy-buddy with Ohgami, like Sakura and the rest of them. But her stomach contracted when he was near; his eyes, his smile swirled around her head hours after he's gone, and the only way she knew how to react to that is hiding behind her I'm-the-real-Captain-and- not-you façade.  
  
After Maria had exited from Sakura's room, guess who she bumped into?  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Sir."  
  
"Umm, so where are you going for your vacation?"  
  
"I'll be staying here, captain."  
  
"What? But I thought Sakura invited you-"  
  
"I declined. It's not really my thing, family togetherness. I'll just be left out."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Enjoy your vacation, captain."  
  
"You too."  
  
And that was that.  
  
Now, with Koran in the deserted Imperial Capital Theater, Maria debated on her decision. She could be here, observing dust bunnies rolling around the floor and Koran hacking of pieces of circuitry, or at Sakura's ancestral home, observing Sakura and Ohgami macking on the obi.  
  
What a choice.  
  
In the middle of examining a torched painting, Maria heard an explosion. It sounded like it came from the former Kobu hangar. She raced to the stairs.  
  
"What has she done now?"  
  
*************************  
  
Ano? ANO??!! Review, children of Gaea, for we are one with the universe, like life, which is a box of chocolates. (Huh?")  
  
See you on the next chapter!! ^_^  
  
Note: Here's another funny one. While running this through the spellchecker, guess what came up for Ohgami? =orgasmic!!! (Open hard drive, insert foot.) 


	2. Damn that Screwdriver!

Disclaimer: I do not own Sakura Taisen or Gravitation in whatever form. I do not have any money in whatever form. However, I have friends in high places. (My uncle twice removed used to be a window washer.) Har-dee-har- har. And I have enough corniness to spare.  
  
Well, children of Gaea, it's only been two days and I've already made the next chapter. Am I good or what? (Well, maybe I'm not good, but at least I'm dedicated.)  
  
Thanks to those that gave such nice reviews (pack 'em all!!). Yes, I am a Maria/Ohgami fan, and I'm a Tohma fan as well (Seguchi Tohma from Gravitation, hope you know him). Screw Mika! Screw Sakura! (Well, not really. I like Sakura a lot too, but she is only Beautiful Alone.)  
  
Anyway, to those of you who read the first part, here's a second helping! Itadakimasu!  
  
*****  
  
Chapter 2: Damn that Screwdriver!  
  
Maria quickly ran down the old staircase and entered the unused hangar. Smoke puffs impaired her vision, but she could plainly see Koran's silhouette amidst the clouds of dust and smoke. Tsk, the girl could be so careless sometimes. Make that most of the time. Maria hurried to her side.  
  
"Koran, what the hell have you been doing?" she asked calmly, picking up the bewildered Chinese girl to her feet. She was too used to hearing random explosions coming from Koran's room to be surprised by this kind of thing. With all the enticing, old machinery around, it was bound to happen.  
  
Koran snapped out of her trance. The blank look on her face transformed into a look of total excitement and insanity mixed together. "Maria!! Maria, did you see? Did you see it return?"  
  
"What on earth are you babbling about?"  
  
"The screw driver!!! It returned!! From where, I have no idea, but-"  
  
Maria clamped a hand over Koran's mouth. "Back up a little please, " she said as surveyed the room. After the smoke had cleared, nothing seemed to have really exploded. Or at least, nothing that hadn't already been destroyed during Aoi Satan's little "visit".  
  
"What happened? Where did that explosion come from?"  
  
"From this!!!" Koran opened her blackened fist.  
  
*A screw driver?* "Um, elaborate, please."  
  
Koran tutted in that "Is-it-not-obvious?" way of hers, and wandered away from Maria, seeming to be in search of something in the dark.  
  
"You see that screw driver in your hand?" she started as she hauled a huge metal contraption across the floor. "It disappeared, and came back again!!"  
  
"Uhuh, and so?"  
  
Koran huffed impatiently. "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"  
  
"Well, speak a little more cryptically and I just might get it."  
  
Koran finally stopped dragging the metal thing and tapped it lightly. "You see this machine?" she asked Maria.  
  
*Well, duh, you dragged it right in front of me, and it's too gigantic to miss.* She studied the contraption. It was a metal box, about the size of a filing cabinet in Commander Yoneda's office. It had weird switches all around it, and right in the middle was a sort of glass orb, like the camera specs of the Kobus. "Yes."  
  
"Well, I've been working on it ever since I arrived from China. I first conceptualized it when I was throwing up on the ship, but I never really thought it would work. I mean, there were too many variables involved; where you would go, how to get back, so I tried it on non-living items first. Several blew up on the first tries, but once I got the hang of it, they just disappeared. The problem is getting them back, though. I finally figured out this morning, that's why I wanted to go here and test it, and it worked! I can't believe it! It actually worked!! It-"  
  
"What is it, exactly?" Maria interjected, starting to lose her patience.  
  
"Why, a teleport machine, of course!! It sends you somewhere, and then gets you back again! It worked with the screwdriver; it was amazing! I was really worried when we left here in a hurry when we were attacked by-" Koran suddenly looked pensive.  
  
Maria remembered how Koran's dreams were shattered when she learned that her idol, Professor Yamazaki, was in fact the enemy. "Are you okay?"  
  
Koran snapped back to her perky self. "Oh, yes, it's okay. It's been so long. Anyway, I was worried that it would get destroyed; I'd worked so hard on it, almost as hard as I worked on the Kobus. I was really relieved to see it was still in one piece."  
  
"So let me get this straight," Maria said, organizing her thoughts, "this, thing, it's like a magic box that makes things disappear?" She ran her hands on the cool metal. It vibrated strangely under her fingers. She withdrew her hand quickly.  
  
"It doesn't just 'make things disappear', as you so scientifically put it," Koran pouted, running her hand lovingly on the box's switches. Maria eyed her hand cautiously.  
  
"So where do the things go, exactly?"  
  
Koran smiled sheepishly. "I don't know yet. All I can do is send something and get it back. But as a screwdriver can't really tell me anything, I have no idea where it goes." Then she grinned her insane-genius grin. "That's why I'm going for a test drive myself."  
  
Maria tore her gaze from the machine and stared at Koran, thoroughly alarmed. "What? No, no way. I'm not allowing that." She dragged Koran away from the teleporter.  
  
Koran struggled out of Maria's grasp. "Who died and made you king-er- queen?" She hugged the machine. "I am going. I am totally bored here. The only reason that I didn't go with Sakura on that trip was so I could work on my baby's glitches. And I have, so what's the problem?"  
  
Maria smiled dryly, thinking about her own "glitches", and not going to the trip with Sakura just because a certain *someone* was making her uneasy. She shook her head and reverted her thoughts on the matter at hand.  
  
"Oh, I'm perfectly willing to let you test your machine when you have worked out *all* the glitches. But as I can see, you haven't. You don't even know where you're going to, and as I know, you're the only one who knows how to work this thing-"  
  
"Oh, it's pretty simple. There are a lot of switches, but only the red one works-"  
  
"That's not the point," Maria said exasperatedly, "the point is, you're the only one who knows this machine, and if you're jumping in and out of rabbit holes, whose going to get you back?"  
  
"I never thought of that."  
  
Maria shook her head. For a mechanic genius, Koran was pretty dim. "Let's just get out of here, all right? I'm tired of wandering around this place. We can send people back here and they can bring that thing back to the house if you like. You can continue working on it there."  
  
Koran eyed the machine thoughtfully. "Okay, that sounds reasonable."  
  
Maria sighed in relief. As bored as she was, she didn't want any of her friends to suddenly pull disappearing acts in the middle of their vacation. She was feeling empty enough as it is.  
  
They walked out of the hangar and into the once-fancy hall. Suddenly, Koran stopped in mid-step. "My screwdriver! I left it back there!" She turned and started her way back to the hangar.  
  
*Oh, for chrissakes*, Maria thought, and then mentally berated herself. It was harder to keep her cool nowadays, especially when she was worried about what's going on with Sakura and ---. *Just don't think about it. *  
  
"No, Koran, come back here," Maria called. Koran looked back. "I'll get the screwdriver."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"If you go back there you just might be tempted to try out you machine. I'm not taking any chances." Maria rushed past her down the stairs. "Just wait for me outside, I'll be back soon," she called back at her. "Um, all right," Koran replied, as she watched Maria's disappearing figure through the dust.  
  
Maria found the screwdriver easily. It was just on top of the teleport machine, and she quickly picked it up and headed back to the stairs. Then, for some strange indefinable reason, she stopped and looked back at the contraption. She took one step closer. It felt like it was calling her.  
  
She touched it again.  
  
The vibrating continued under her fingertips, but she didn't let go. It was, *mesmerizing*, for some reason. Her hands wandered toward the switches, the hum of the machine lulling her in some way.  
  
*What would it feel like?* she wondered, *what would it feel like to get away? Get away to somewhere no one knows about? Away from the past, away from the present, away from uncontrollable thoughts and feelings. What did Koran say about the red switch again?* With one deft motion, she flicked her wrist.  
  
Koran's scream accompanied by an explosion was the last sound she heard before the blinding light swallowed her whole, the pain knocking her to oblivion.  
  
*****  
  
"Ohgami-san?"  
  
Ichirou snapped back to attention. Sakura was looking at him worriedly. "Are you okay?"  
  
"Er, yes, I'm fine. You're mother is ingenious," Ichirou tried to cover up, "this is the best onigiri I've ever tasted in my life."  
  
Sakura smiled back at him. "Of course, that's all my mother does anyway, polish up on her craft of cooking, isn't that right?" She winked at her mother, who was sitting across them on the low table.  
  
"Well, what do you expect? No use training now that you've brought peace back into our lives." She served up some more food. "More onigiri, Iris?"  
  
"Yemph," Iris mumbled, her mouth still full.  
  
Sakura and her mother laughed, but Ichirou drifted away again, his thoughts somewhere else, or, more specifically, on *someone* else.  
  
Maria.  
  
His thoughts drifted back to the day they left for vacation. Kanna and Maria were helping Sakura load up her stuff and Iris's into the automobile when Ichirou walked out the oak doors.  
  
"Ohgami-san," Sakura greeted happily, "where are your things? We'll be leaving soon."  
  
"I got 'em right here," Ichirou replied as he hauled his suitcases to the auto. He eyed the blonde still arranging the suitcases in the compartments. "Why don't you go see if Iris is ready, Sakura? Take Kanna with you, Sumire might have more suitcases than all of us put together." They all sniggered at that, except for Maria, who was, as usual, coolly silent.  
  
When Sakura and Kanna disappeared, Ichirou advanced to the compartment next to Maria and started piling his things up. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up just being close to her.  
  
"So, you're really not coming?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you have somewhere else to be?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Do you get sick on trains?"  
  
"Not particularly. I pilot a Kobu, don't I?"  
  
"Why then?" Ichirou asked, "why not come with us? You won't be doing anything here." He was getting exasperated. How hard was it to understand that he wanted her to come, that he would *love* it if she did? How hard was it to see that he liked her, and that he spent every waking moment fantasizing about taking her into his arms and kissing her till their lips were sore? He was just about to continue his diatribe when Maria interjected.  
  
"So now I'm useless?" she said heatedly, "now that the fight is over and the theatre is no longer in working condition, I am just a freeloader in Commander Yoneda's pocket? Well, screw that. I am going to find some use, and I don't need your help in doing so. Have a nice vacation sir." Then she walked out on him, leaving Ichirou's mouth hanging open.  
  
These thoughts filtered through Ichirou's mind as he lazily stirred his tea. She was so uptight, Maria was. Since the first time they met when he had replaced her as captain, when she was arranging all those battle scores and fighting level graphs, Ichirou decided that she was the most uptight woman he has ever met. That's what attracted him in the first place. He himself was a rule follower, but he did like to unwind now and then. Maria looked like she has never unwound at all in her entire life.  
  
But that was going to change. As soon as they get back, Ichirou was going to come clean. He would tell his real feelings. Then he was going to show Maria how to really unwind. It was about time that she stopped being the one that looked after everyone. He would be the one to do that for her. He cared for her that much.  
  
The only problem was, did she feel the same way?  
  
*****  
  
Tohma walked through the deserted park, the bright streetlamps illuminating patches of asphalt here and there. He breathed in the cold midnight air with gusto, the scent of an incoming storm faintly traceable. His head was amazingly clear, like he could see things exactly as they were for the first time. He knew it was a big decision to leave Mika, but to him it didn't seem like that big a deal, simply because he knew it was right, and it felt so as well. He'd tell Yuki in the morning. Then they'd go about planning how to tell Mika.  
  
He felt alive. This new sense of freedom was heightening his awareness. He noticed the colors of the leaves of the trees, the tingly grass scent in the air, the musical hum of the wind.  
  
But at the same time, he felt empty. Now that he finally knew that he felt nothing for Mika, who was there to love? Of course, he still loved Yuki, but not in that romantic way. And he knew he would never love him back the way he needed to be loved. Come to think of it, he has never really loved someone in that sense of the word. Sure, he had cared for Mika, but that was about the extent of their relationship. He didn't desire her as much as he would have liked, so it was a pretty one-way relationship. Very unsatisfying.  
  
And who would love him? Who would love the real Tohma? Sure, there were millions of Nittle Grasper fans that worshipped him, but did they really know him? Did they really know the scheming, manipulative Tohma? Would anyone love him at all if they really knew him inside, how he hated to lose, how he is a control freak? He wasn't too sure about that.  
  
It was while he was immersed in these troubling thoughts that it happened. The sound of the explosion sliced through the peaceful night like a diamond dagger.  
  
*What the hell?* Tohma thought as he hurried to the source of the sound. Behind an unusually large cherry tree he saw the silhouette of a figure lying on the grass. He hurried and was on his knees on the next moment, and seeing that the figure was still breathing, he tried to rouse it. He then realized that it was a woman.  
  
A flash of lightning illuminated the night sky, and cast the face of the woman into view. A face that made Tohma's heart quicken by the mile.  
  
She had the finest blonde hair covering he face gently like angel feathers, her porcelain skin pale and silky. She was obviously a foreigner, but there was something about her that was so Japanese as well. She was the epitome of beauty.  
  
The rain started to pour. Tohma gently gathered the woman in his arms, concentrating on carrying her to the nearest hospital and not on the tempting feel of her body, now soaking wet with rain. He increased his speed, and when he got to the main street, he hailed the first cab that came bounding their way.  
  
"To the nearest hospital, and step on it!" he ordered as he climbed, the woman still unconscious in his arms. The driver heard the authority in his voice and started to maneuver through the rain.  
  
Tohma caressed the face of the woman. A small mumble came from her lips. It sounded strangely like "It's you."  
  
"Yes, it's me, my angel lady. Are you finally the one? Have you come for me?"  
  
***** Ehermph, that was a bit long. What was I thinking? I should have held out a bit, hehe. Still, it was really fun to write, what did you guys think? I really need reviews. Actually, I live for it. Being the vacationing person that I am *smirk* I really need something to keep me from dying from boredom. Thanks a bunch!!  
  
Note: How many of you would like a full-blown lemon chappy? It's either Tohma and Maria, or Ichirou and Maria. You decide folks! 


End file.
